The Words
by Julie Horwitz
Summary: Mal realizes how she feels about Ben and decides that it's time to tell him.


**Disclaimer:**

The following is a work of fanfiction. All characters and situations belonging to the movie "Descendants" are copyrighted to Disney Enterprises, Inc.

 **Author's Notes:**

This story is a short follow-up to the movie that addresses the state of Mal and Ben's relationship. The movie ends without truly defining Mal's feelings for Ben. We know she really likes him and wants to be with him, but it is never said whether or not she actually _loves_ him. This is just my way of wrapping up that storyline. It's short and sweet and nothing more than that.  
All comments and questions may be sent to me at my e-mail address. Please see my profile for details.  
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the story.

 _ **The Words**_  
by  
Julie Horwitz

Mal put the finishing touches on the art project that was due tomorrow and let out a sigh. It was a pencil reproduction of one of the many photos of Ben's parents that were spread all around both the campus and their castle. (She had been working off of a small copy.) In the photo, the king and queen were gazing at each other with expressions of utter love.

Less than two months ago, Mal would have found it disgusting.

But now...

She wasn't sure when everything had started changing for her, but it was somewhere around the time that she had spelled Ben with that cookie. She had done it with the simple intention of being close to the wand during the coronation. But then he'd turned out to be so amazing...

Their first date by the Enchanted Lake had been the first time she'd started questioning her own intentions and desires. Ben, even before the spell had been broken by the water, had treated her with nothing but kindness and made her feel like she was more than just Maleficent's daughter. He'd asked her about herself, something that no one except maybe Evie and the boys had done. And he'd told her that he didn't see any evil in her. That alone had left her shaken and wondering who she really was. Was she really the nasty, black-hearted evildoer she had always believed herself to be or was that only who her mother wanted her to be? What did _she_ want?

For days after their visit to the lake, she had pushed aside her mission in order to discover her real self. And a large part of that had been just allowing herself to be Ben's girlfriend. He'd spent every second of his free time with her (much to Audrey's chagrin) and Mal had gotten to know him more and more each day. And each day she'd found herself opening up to _him_ more and more, which had surprised her. (She had believed him to be under her love spell, after all, and nothing he had said he felt for her was supposed to be real.) He'd made her experience emotions that were foreign to her and, to her utter amazement, she'd begun to crave them.

She had never felt that way before and she'd liked it more than she could say.

More than she _knew_ she should...

It wasn't until the video conference with their parents before Family Day that Mal had been reminded of why she had cast her spell on Ben in the first place. Mom wanted that wand and failure to retrieve it would be met with severe punishment. The conversation had left her conflicted, especially after watching Carlos finally stand up to his mother. (She couldn't help but be proud of him. Of all of their group, he was the most abused and unloved by his parent.) But then Family Day had happened and the events had left her wanting to steal the wand as payback for the way she and her friends had been treated. (For someone who was supposed to be "good," Chad was a vindictive and bullying creep. She especially wanted to make him suffer for how he'd hurt Evie.) Her only regret had been that Ben would get hurt because of her actions.

And then, just when she'd accepted that there was no turning back from her mission, she'd found out that her spell on him had been broken from almost the beginning. Everything he'd said and done since the Enchanted Lake had been real. His _love_ for her had been real. He had meant it every single time he'd told her he loved her. And then he'd proved it by slipping his ring on her finger.

And in that instant she'd _known_ she wanted to be good.

More than that, she wanted a life with _Ben._

A life she had now been very happily living for the last month. _Exactly_ a month, in fact, as Ben had cheerily informed her yesterday. According to him, the one month anniversary of her choosing good (and of their becoming an official couple) was a special occasion that deserved celebrating and that he had everything all planned out. All she had to do was show up and enjoy. (She'd then told him that she would only go if there were going to be strawberries, her newfound love of the fruit a running gag between them. In a very stern tone, she had declared, "No strawberries, no girlfriend." Ben had assured her that he had it covered and then they had both laughed.)

He'd finally ended their time together the way he always did: he told her that he loved her and then asked her if she loved him back yet. And she replied with the same answer she always gave him: "Let me think. Umm...not yet. Maybe tomorrow."

Ben had laughed it off as he did every time before kissing her goodbye.

It was meant as yet another private joke between them, but now, as she looked at the photo of his parents she'd used for her drawing, she wondered if she'd made a mistake. Ben had grown up watching his two parents openly express their love for each other. They had been his model of what a real couple is like and he'd probably expected that he and whoever he dated would have the same kind of relationship. Instead, he'd ended up loving a former villain who knew next to nothing about love.

How long would it be before he started regretting falling in love with her?

The thought of losing Ben physically hurt her. Because of him, she was the happiest she had ever been in her entire life. When she was with him... He made her feel things no one else ever could.

But was one of those things _love_?

The concept of love was still so new and strange to her. She had a basic understanding of it and knew that there were many different types of love, but she wasn't sure if she'd actually experienced the romantic kind yet. (For example, she knew she "loved" creating art and she "loved" eating strawberries.) And it was for that reason that she hadn't told Ben that she loved him. Because she didn't want to speak those words unless they were the truth. Ben deserved nothing less.

She thought about all of the emotions he brought to life in her. When they were together, she was happy, content, and, amusingly considering that she had saved _him_ at the coronation, safe. She felt like she _belonged_ at his side. And when they were apart, she couldn't stop thinking about him. (Just like she was doing now.) And she was sure that she'd miss him terribly if he went away for any period of time.

Was this love?

And what about Ben? Other than him constantly telling her he loved her, what was the proof that he did? Which of his many wonderful actions and qualities indicated that he loved her? Was it the fact that he accepted her for who she was, villainous past and all? He knew _exactly_ the kind of person she was and she knew that she never needed to pretend with him. (Though this had led to some, er, _interesting,_ discussions over the difference between what was seen as right and wrong in Auradon. Some things they defined as wrong just baffled her.) Was it his constant physical touching of her? He was always holding her hand and playing with her hair. And then there were the kisses... (Their first kiss on the night of the coronation... There were no words...) Not to mention the way he always looked directly into her eyes when talking to her. Or was it the combination of all of these things that proved his love?

And what about her? Did she do anything for _him_ that might clue her in on her own feelings? Thinking about it, she realized that sometimes _she_ was the one to take his hand first. _She_ would often initiate hugs or lean against him while they were walking or sitting together. She'd even kissed him first more than a few times. These actions had become second nature to her in such a short time that she'd hardly made note of them.

This realization combined with the multitude of feelings she had for and because of Ben led her to one conclusion: she _did_ love him!

"I love Ben," she whispered reverently.

She was surprised by how good it felt to speak the words out loud.

How _right._

"I love Ben!" she repeated more confidently.

"Well, duh!" an unexpected voice commented.

Mal's head shot up to find Evie standing in front of the table where she was working.

" _Everyone_ knows that, M!," Evie matter-of-factly informed her. "It's about time you figured it out for yourself. I was starting to worry that you never would!"

"Is that so?" Mal shot back as Evie plopped into one of the table's chairs.

"No offense, but you were the only one of us truly trying hold on to your inner evil until almost the very end," Evie pointed out. "So it's not surprising it took you this long to recognize that you were in love with Ben."

"Gee, thanks a lot, E," she mock-complained. "You really know how to make a girl feel good about herself."

"No, what I mean is that of all of us, you were the one whose mom was pushing you to be as truly evil as she was," Evie explained. "The only goal my mom gave me was to win a prince and she taught me that the only way to do that was to play dumb and look pretty. Jay was raised to believe that he had to look out for no one but himself and the only way to get stuff he wanted was to steal it. And Carlos was a glorified servant taught to be terrified of dogs. Your mom wanted you to want to hurt people like she did and to rule the world at her side. It's understandable that you would resist being good and falling in love."

Everything Evie was saying was true. While all four of them had considered themselves as evil on the island, she was the only one who was pushed to cause direct pain. (Pain that was inflicted on her whenever she failed to meet Mom's expectations.) It made sense that she would be slow to recognize any positive feelings, like love, in herself.

"So, what brought on this overdue revelation?" Evie wanted to know.

She shrugged. "I was just thinking about stuff."

"Ben stuff" Evie playfully prodded.

She smiled. "Maybe."

She picked up her sketchbook and showed Evie her drawing.

"Ah," Evie said knowingly as she saw the picture. "Drawing romance leads to thinking about romance. So, you think you're seeing you and Ben's future in his parents?"

"Um, we've only known each other for two months, Evie," Mal pointedly reminded her. "I think you're getting way ahead of yourself."

"Not if it's true love," Evie countered. "And what you and Ben have is most definitely true love."

"Like you and Doug?" Mal teased.

While Doug made no secret of his gigantic crush on her, Evie had been badly burned by Chad and had decided to focus on herself rather than jump into another relationship.

However, Evie _did_ blush, which told Mal that there was definitely something there.

"You know Doug and I are just friends," Evie replied. "I mean, I really, really, _really_ like him, but not that way. At least not right now. Maybe one day. But you and Ben, on the other hand..."

"Yeah, yeah," Mal waved her off.

"So when are you going to tell him the big news?" Evie wanted to know.

"Hmm..." Mal made a show of thinking. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe tonight? It's kind of our official one month anniversary and Ben is taking me out, so-"

"It's your anniversary and you didn't think to tell me?!" Evie screeched. "M! How could you? You know you need me to get you ready!"

"Evie, you honestly don't think I can dress myself?"

Evie put her hands on her hips.

"I'll take that as a 'no,'" Mal mock-sighed. When it came to fashion, Evie could be a bit of a fanatic. "Fine. You win. I surrender to your superior fashion wisdom."

Evie squealed and jumped out of her chair. Mal just shook her head.

"I have the perfect outfit!" Evie happily babbled as she ran to the hanging rack where she kept her fashion creations. (The collection had gotten quite large over the last few weeks. How Evie found the time to both study and sew was beyond her.)

"I'm going to want all the details, of course," she continued as she searched through the rack. "I'm going to need to know everything- Ah! Here it is!"

With a flourish that only she could manage, she pulled something from the rack and held it up so Mal could see it.

"Oh, Evie, it's beautiful," Mal truthfully told her as she studied the dress her best friend had made. "I love it."

"Of course you do!" Evie waved her off.

She carried the dress over to Mal's bed and laid it out.

"Now, go sit on my bed so I can start your hair and makeup," she ordered. "I'm going to make sure you look extra fabulous for tonight."

As Evie continued to ramble while gathering her cosmetic supplies, Mal let her mind focus on other things.

Such as how she was going to tell Ben that she loved him.

((()))

Ben tuned out his literature teacher's droning voice as he looked at the clock at the front of the classroom.

Only three and a half more hours to go before his special evening with Mal.

The thought of being with her made him smile.

Mal was unlike anyone he had ever known. He had liked her from the first moment he had met her. (True, her first words to him had been to mock his formal welcome speech, but she'd been right and he'd appreciated the honest criticism.) Her openness and honesty were refreshing. (She'd actually never _lied_ to him. She'd only spelled him.) It hadn't mattered to her that he was royalty. She treated him the same way she treated everyone else. (Well, except for the part where she cast a love spell on him.)

Falling in love with her had been so easy. (Once the spell had been broken, of course.) Being her boyfriend felt like the most natural thing in the world. (Mom said they complemented each other.) Unlike Audrey who had only thought about the opinions of others, Mal showed a genuine interest in his thoughts and opinions. Best of all, she never hesitated to fire back with her own thoughts and opinions of _his_ thoughts and opinions, which had resulted in a lot of laughter. (Growing up on the Island of the Lost, Mal had a very different view of the world and often declared him "too soft." She constantly volunteered her services in toughening him up, which he had yet to take her up on. To be honest, he was kind of scared to find out how she'd go about doing that. His Mal could be very intense!) She challenged him in ways no one ever had, which was yet another thing that he loved about her. (Which was yet another reason Mom said they were a perfect match.)

He could easily see himself spending the rest of his life with her.

And although she had never said it herself, he knew that she felt the same way.

He didn't need to hear her speak the words "I love you" to know what was in her heart.

Mal was a very guarded person, which was very understandable because of who her mother was and where she had grown up. She hid her true self behind a barrier of sarcasm and humor. It was a self-defense mechanism that she had relied on all of her life and he realized that it was hard for her to let down her walls. But he was seeing more and more of her real self each day. And with every new piece of her she revealed to him, he fell even more in love with her.

Mal was good and kind and generous. She cared very deeply about others. She loved her friends and was extremely protective of them. He'd never seen her do anything he would consider evil or bad. (Her worst "offense" had been to undo Jane's hair. Not even the love spell she'd put on him had been with evil intentions.) She was a wonderful person.

If she never told him aloud that she loved him, he would be all right with that. He knew how she felt because she showed him with every action she took. He didn't need any more than that.

Realizing that he needed to start paying attention to whatever his teacher was saying before he got caught daydreaming (king or not, he was expected to keep up with his school work like every other student), Ben forced himself to focus on class.

He'd be with Mal soon enough.

((()))

"I'll get it!" Evie loudly announced at the sound of a knock on their dorm room door. "You don't move."

"Yes, Mother," Mal replied, shaking her head at the way Evie was taking the date preparations all too seriously. (Her best friend's love of the dramatic never ceased to amuse her.)

"I mean it," Evie firmly instructed her as she walked to the door. "I've put too much work into making you look amazing to let you ruin it before Ben even sees you. Now stay put!"

Mal resisted the urge to pull out a strand of hair just to see Evie explode. (It would have been mean, but extremely amusing. Evie was acting like this was a matter of life and death rather than a dinner date!)

Evie opened the door.

"Ben, what a surprise!" she greeted him. "We totally _weren't_ expecting you! Come on in."

Mal rolled her eyes before standing up from the bed.

"Hey, Evie," Ben said as he moved into the room. "Is Ma-"

He stopped mid-sentence when his eyes found her.

"W-wow," he stammered as she joined them. "Mal, you look... You look amazing."

Evie squealed with glee at the compliment.

Mal ignored her. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

Ben's already huge smile grew bigger.

"Are you ready for our date?" he asked her as he took her hand and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Would I be wearing this getup otherwise?" she teased as he released her. "The things I do for my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend is very appreciative of your sacrifice," he shot back. "Though you'd still look beautiful wearing a sack."

"You really think so? I think I've got one somewhere. Want to wait while I change?"

"While I wouldn't mind, I don't think it would fit the dress code of where we're going," Ben played along. "Maybe next time?'

"You've got yourself a deal," Mal replied and they both laughed.

"Don't forget to give him the big news," Evie whispered into Mal's ear before she said, "Have fun you two!"

"We always do," Ben said, taking her by the arm. "I promise I won't keep her out past curfew."

"Bye, E," Mal said.

"Bye!"

Mal smiled as Ben gently led her out of the door and into the hallway.

((()))

"You know, this is my least favorite part of the day," Ben commented as he walked Mal down the hall back to her dorm room.

"Really?" Mal asked, wishing that their wonderful evening didn't have to come to an end. (Fairy Godmother hadn't been kidding when she said she had a thing about curfews! Mal and Ben had missed it once by two minutes and they'd been given detention for a week.) "Why is that?"

"Because I have to say good night to you."

Mal smiled and brought them to a stop in the middle of the hall.

"Aww, Benny-boo, you're just too sweet," she playfully teased him, using one of Audrey's pet names for him. "But just remember, if you don't say good night, you won't be able to say good morning tomorrow."

"I don't know about that," he shot back, pulling her close. "I would say good morning to you if we woke up in the same room."

"Benjamin Florian!" she cried in mock-indignation, this time speaking his middle name. (She expected that he would respond with her ridiculous middle name, Bertha.) "What an inappropriate thing to say!" She grinned up at him. "I love this naughty side of you! Why haven't I gotten to see it before?"

"Maybe because you're the only one who can bring it out of me," he told her, his tone serious. "I love you, Mal."

It was the perfect opening. (She had been planning to wait until his customary question asking if she loved him back yet to surprise him, but this was even better.)

"I love you too."

Ben's eyes widened.

"M-mal! You...you said it! I can't believe it!"

"Believe it, king boy," she told him, her smile wide. "I love you, Ben. And I have for a while now."

"I'm so happy to finally hear you say it," he let her know. "I mean, I've known how you've felt for a long time, but for you to finally _tell_ me... For you to say the words..."

"If you ever want to hear them again, you have to shut up and kiss me first," she instructed him.

And he did.


End file.
